Meat, Lies, and Cardiogate
As a child my diet was atrocious. I was raised on the Standard American Diet. It was packaged, processed, “fast”, and loaded with sugar and vegetable oils in all their inglorious forms. I rarely ate any type of meat. My twenty-something year old body was already showing some serious signs of deficiency but because of the resiliency of youth I was able to keep going in a seemingly healthy state. After all, I was lean, had a sharp mind and lots of energy. Those surface indicators of health allowed me to keep kicking the can down the road until the road abruptly ended. There I was, standing on the edge of a chasm I could no longer cross.
I had to find a bridge to health or I would most certainly go down hill until I hit bottom. My father had many idiopathic ailments and became addicted to pain pills. It was difficult to watch him deteriorate over the years – his drug induced exile took him away from us long before he was gone – and I feared my quality of life would be much like his until I succumbed as he did.
In my youth, I suffered with constant depression, anxiety and gastrointestinal issues. This dysbiosis continued until it reached an unbearable level in adulthood and I finally sought medical help. They ran various tests and found nothing of note. They were puzzled and decided to focus on a scant amount of H. pylori bacteria that surfaced in the test data. H. pylori resides in all of us. It is believed to cause ulcers and inflammation of the alimentary canal if it is not kept in check through healthy living. The various tests showed no ulcers and the measurement of H. pylori was not abnormal. Regardless, the doctors threw a dart at their target and dropped a nuclear antibiotic bomb on me to destroy it (and what was left of my microbiome). What do you think was the result?
I trusted… and it was a disaster.
The antibiotics destroyed my gut even further. I could no longer eat anything – my esophagus angrily burned with every attempt to nourish myself. Oral thrush, constant nausea, and tachycardia plagued me. I was now officially terrified.
With each follow up visit to the doctor it became clear they were out of ideas and believed my problems to be more mental than physical. They were no longer interested in figuring it out. What they were interested in, however, was bringing in pharmaceutical reps to sit in on my very personal doctor visits so they could gather data and offer me more pills. Even in my perilous state of mind I replied to the doctor with a hard “No!”. The smile she pasted on her face that day (for she never smiled) quickly turned upside down – just like my life. That was my last allopathic doctor visit.
I was now wasting away at 95 lbs and had to go back to work or I would lose my job. My skin color was now a sickly shade of pale. I was very weak and utterly pathetic at this point. As coworkers came to my desk to discuss work I could see the shock on their faces. Eventually, one of them took pity on me and delicately addressed me by saying, “You look like shit. What is going on?”. I looked at him for a long moment and holding back my emotions I replied, “I… No one knows”.
He sat down and shared his story about his wife. How she had been sick for two years with no hope in sight. They did all the recommended conventional medical interventions until there was nothing else left in the doctor’s bag of tricks. I listened to him intently as he wrapped up his story with an earnest suggestion to call the alternative MD practitioner that had brought his wife back to abundant health. What did I have to lose?
Long story short, I did see that doctor.
I will never forget her. She sat down with me for an hour and a half as she gathered as much data as she felt was necessary. She gave me her recommendations (which was overwhelming) but I followed her every word. I trusted again but the trust felt different this time around. She was caring, humble, and definitely not just throwing darts with toxic payloads. It took some time to get well but I was persistent and in six months I was in better shape than I’d ever been in my life.
First, she had to address what the previous treatments did to my body. We began by addressing the candida overgrowth (antibiotic abuse), the aggravated GI inflammation (gastritis), the depletion of minerals (causing the tachycardia). There were tinctures, herbs, supplements and a strict diet of fruit, greens, nuts, seeds and plain tuna (as needed). No coffee, oils, sugar, grains, eggs, or dairy.
From that point forward, I was basically a vegetarian. I reintroduced the foods that were forbidden during the healing process (in organic form only) but the moment I allowed sugar and grains/baked goods back into my life I felt an almost imperceptible shift from vibrant to “feeling well”… but the slow degradation had begun.
Twenty years later, I was in ill health once again.
I had been consistent with my plant-based diet (with small amounts of fish and poultry – absolutely no red meat). I realize, in comparison to most people, I still appeared to be the picture of health. However, when my body began the slow process of menopause I began to fall apart. Again, I tried to find a lifeline to help me with the migraines, hot flashes, night sweats, bruising, weakening teeth, and smoldering internal infections. My search for answers from experts led me in the wrong direction on a couple of occasions and that led to more problems.
At this point, I began to take even more responsibility for my own health after realizing I was wasting a lot of money trying to find the right person to help me. The right person was staring me in the face the whole time – me. I have now come to the conclusion that my vegetarian diet helped heal my body simply because it removed the processed (fake) food and provided some nutrients my body could use to re-calibrate my system. It is definitely superior to the Standard American Diet but deficiencies arise over time and the quantity and quality of food you must purchase and consume daily to meet your needs is far more than I did or could eat. Supplementation is required to fill the nutritional gaps of a vegetarian diet.
What constitutes a proper human diet? Every decade or so we are told what was once good is now bad and what was bad is now good. Every spin of the dietary wheel is backed up by academics conducting unassailable peer-reviewed studies. Basically, we rely on the experts in the lab to educate us and direct our habits and lifestyles. Being an expert is a powerful position in our society. We defer to them before we decide to do what “we think” is best. But are we really thinking for ourselves? Or, do we mainly operate from a position of deference to authority when making our choices? Can we do better?
In a previous post I mentioned that I was having issues with my cardiovascular system.
Since this care-giving journey began my blood pressure hit the red zone (e.g. 150/95 with a racing heart and excruciating nightly leg/foot cramps). Add to that the tremendous amount of stress, at the time, between siblings arguing over how best to care for our mother.
Each night I would go to bed and the pressure pulsated into my fingers and toes as my abdomen punched me from the inside like a maniacal alien being wanting to break free. This created even more anxiety as I wondered if a stroke would take me in the night. Seriously, who hasn’t had these thoughts? 
I didn’t have the time or energy to focus on myself and just did the best I could to address the growing problem. I tried a few supplements and herbs that were supposed to help but I was too inconsistent to get any traction.
This is a serious condition. Time to take a breath and look in the mirror and decide what to do next… I began researching options late into the night and came across some channels discussing the merits of eating red meat and healthy fats. My first reaction was one of incredulity. I had been plant-based for decades and eating fatty red meat, I was told, would lead to cardiovascular disease and cancer.
There wasn’t anything terribly electrifying about what I was finding.
I had heard it all before – Paleo, Keto, Atkins, Weston A. Price, etc… but then I watched something a little bit different. It was so preposterous I kept looking for more evidence in the form of legitimate scientific facts and anecdotes. These people were talking about healing with meat, fat, salt and water alone – strict carnivore they call it. An elimination diet, as it were, and they had amazing results. Too good to be true?
What is Hyperinsulinemia?
It’s obvious that processed foods destroy health but others also speculate that consuming a strict plant-based diet (vegan/vegetarian) may contribute to the development of hyperinsulinemia which is the flash point for the onset of metabolic syndromes (high blood pressure, high triglycerides, diabetes, dementia aka type 3 diabetes).
Over the years I have become suspect of scientific studies and the shoulders they stand upon.
Anyone that knows me also knows I am always willing to question the voracity of facts when outcomes are not in alignment with reality. I have found most, not all, experts are inflexible when it comes to the “facts” as is most of the public. I have been called “anti-science” many times for the stance I take on certain subjects. All I can do is shake my head and move on and let the cards fall where they may.
Not everyone needs to follow a very lowcarb diet to stay metabolically healthy, but if you already have one or both feet in the door of metabolic syndrome (hypertension, diabetes, CVD, dementia, etc…), it’s a highly effective way to go. Using a reduced carbohydrate diet to lower insulin levels means cutting way back on even the carbohydrates we might otherwise consider nutritious, such as potatoes, properly prepared grains, beans and fruit. Read more…
– Weston A. Price Foundation
Let’s fast forward a bit. My past health issues taught me not to shy away from “dangerous” ideas and to examine the information and move forward with cautious intention. About six weeks ago, after considering my options, I decided to introduce red meat and animal fat into my diet. I am not strict as I continue to eat small amounts of carbohydrates in the form of whole foods only (similar to a ketogenic diet). I have never been one to measure, count, or weigh my food and I’m not about to start now. The approach to this transition has been relaxed and steady.
I have included my mother in this dietary experiment as I cook for the household and we are both seeing and feeling the benefits. There is a growing body of evidence that supports the consumption of healthy saturated fat in the elderly population. I hesitate to remove all “sugars” from her diet as it’s the only thing she looks forward to each day.
Hal Cranmar Owner/Operator of “A Paradise for Parents” Assisted Living Facilities
Well, reader, what do you think?
Personally, my goal is to live a life free of prescription medications. I have no doubt that this can be achieved. Often, I hear from people that genetics are responsible for just about every dis-ease that afflicts them. I don’t believe this for a second. I find that line of thought to be self-limiting and sabotages our ability to achieve true wellness through our own discovery process.
As I seek healing in my own life I hope to facilitate improvements in my mother’s life, as well. It is a painful thing to watch someone you love simply exist from day to day in a fog of sadness and helplessness. If I can move the dial just a little bit in a direction that gives her some peace, well, I think it’s worth doing.
Care-giving is an all consuming task. Most of the time I am an empty vessel filling up my mother’s tank to get her through another monotonous day. It forces me to reach beyond the boundaries of my own desires and still find something left to give to another human being. I have other people in my life that would like my time and attention (children and grandchildren) and they too are in a waiting pattern struggling to find patience and understanding over my absence in their lives. There are no easy answers… but I will continue to have hope in the future.
Recommended Viewing:
- Dr. Sten Ekberg “Your Doctor is Wrong about Cholesterol“
- Dr. Elizabeth Bright “You Need Cholesterol for Hormonal Health“
- Nutrition with Judy “80 Years Old and Thriving on a Carnivore Diet“
- Dave Mac: No Carb Life channel (just testimonials)
My plan is to provide intermittent updates as we progress – wish us luck!
The saga continues next week… As always, thanks for reading 
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Tess and I have watched so many videos from Dr. Eric Berg. This guy has figured the nutrition puzzle out.
I really like him. He is very balanced and makes a lot of sense. Another one is Dr. Sten Ekberg. He’s my go-to guy. Thanks for commenting!
To the reader: As Erin’s husband, I lived through all of this with Erin over those years to the present. There are many people who share their “issues” with us to whom we are immediately willing and wanting to help. So we share what (Erin) knows and has been through i.e. her first hand experiential knowledge. And, yet, time and time again people refuse to do what it takes to be healthy.
My own mother refused such advice, saying “Don’t tell me to change my life, just give me a pill.” As a result she spent the last 20 years of her life suffering.
Exactly 30 days ago today Erin put me on this, what I call, “meatasaurus” diet. In that short time I have lost about an inch in my waist (I have a hard time keeping my pants up now lol), my abdominal muscles are far tighter (I do far too little exercise of any kind) and my thinking has become much clearer. I have also received compliments on the condition of my skin. Erin tells me eventually I will regain hair growth in the now-balding half of my life (I’m 62) so if it’s true, and it happens, I’ll let you know.
This article is one of Erin’s best yet. Thanks hon.